THE MINERS 275 



an hour, first filling the neck of the bur- 

 row with fine earth, which was jammed 

 down with much energy, this part of the 

 work being accompanied by a loud and 

 cheerful humming, and next arranging the 

 surface of the ground with scrupulous 

 care, and sweeping every particle of dust 

 to a distance. Even then she was not 

 satisfied, but went scampering around 

 hunting for some fitting object to crown 

 the whole. First she tried to drag a with- 

 ered leaf to the spot, but the long stem 

 stuck in the ground and embarrassed her. 

 Relinquishing this she ran along a branch 

 of the plant under which she was working, 

 and, leaning over, picked up from the 

 ground below a good-sized stone, but the 

 effort was too much for her and she turned 

 a somersault on to the ground. She then 

 started to bring a large lump of earth, but 

 this evidently did not come up to her ideal, 

 for she dropped it after a moment, and 

 seizing another dry leaf, carried it success- 



